{"id":3080,"date":"2020-11-21T11:33:43","date_gmt":"2020-11-21T16:33:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jem.utk.edu\/?p=3080"},"modified":"2025-09-03T11:46:13","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T15:46:13","slug":"jem-sports-alumni-share-academic-career-journeys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cci.utk.edu\/jem\/2020\/11\/21\/jem-sports-alumni-share-academic-career-journeys\/","title":{"rendered":"JEM Sports-Focused Alumni Share Academic, Career Journeys"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They trekked across campus sporting their University of Tennessee shirts, hats and even checkered overalls.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They also walked the curved halls of the College of Communication and Information [CCI], where they laid the foundations for their careers in sports media.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">These journalism and electronic media [JEM] alumni are eight of the hundreds who\u2019ve found careers in sports media, and all of them agree that their work on campus helped shape their careers.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>Katherine Donnelly (2015), ESPN<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Students in the JEM program learn about social media platforms and how to use them as content creators.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3082\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3082\" style=\"width: 268px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3082 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/cci.utk.edu\/jem\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/11\/NBA-Finals-Warriors-268x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"268\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cci.utk.edu\/jem\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/11\/NBA-Finals-Warriors-268x300.jpg 268w, https:\/\/cci.utk.edu\/jem\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/11\/NBA-Finals-Warriors-915x1024.jpg 915w, https:\/\/cci.utk.edu\/jem\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/11\/NBA-Finals-Warriors-768x860.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cci.utk.edu\/jem\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/11\/NBA-Finals-Warriors-1372x1536.jpg 1372w, https:\/\/cci.utk.edu\/jem\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/11\/NBA-Finals-Warriors-1829x2048.jpg 1829w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 268px) 100vw, 268px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3082\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Katherine Donnelly<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Katherine Donnelly found a career managing and producing sports-related content for social media platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cI work on the digital video\/social team at ESPN. I write, edit and produce for the daily <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.snapchat.com\/discover\/ESPN\/7296089122\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">SportsCenter<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> show on Snapchat, and I also make content for other ESPN platforms like Instagram and [ESPN\u2019s website],\u201d Donnelly said. \u201c[JEM] gave me the tools and information I needed to connect with people and help them remember me and the skills I can bring to the table. Because this business is a lot about who you know, networking and making connections will get you far.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>David Cobb (2015), CBS Sports<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">David Cobb has been a college sports writer for CBS since January 2020.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3084\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3084\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3084 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/cci.utk.edu\/jem\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/11\/IMG_0931-e1605927394840-300x170.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"170\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cci.utk.edu\/jem\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/11\/IMG_0931-e1605927394840-300x170.png 300w, https:\/\/cci.utk.edu\/jem\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/11\/IMG_0931-e1605927394840-1024x581.png 1024w, https:\/\/cci.utk.edu\/jem\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/11\/IMG_0931-e1605927394840-768x436.png 768w, https:\/\/cci.utk.edu\/jem\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/11\/IMG_0931-e1605927394840.png 1460w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3084\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">David Cobb<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cMy job at CBS Sports is a good mixture of in-depth reporting and breaking news writing,\u201d Cobb said. \u201cI can be pitching an enterprise story that requires calling college basketball coaches one minute and then be writing a short story about the commitment of a five-star football prospect a few minutes later.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">While studying in JEM, Cobb\u2019s professors prepared him for how to face ethical issues as a journalist.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cThe emphasis on diversity and inclusion in [JEM] helped prepare me to approach topics with the proper tools. It\u2019s important to understand the role media play in shaping narratives around race, religion, gender [and so on],\u201d Cobb said. \u201cThe UT journalism program\u2019s devotion to equipping its students with this perspective helped equip me with the empathy required of a full-time journalist.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>Isaac Fowler (2018), VFL Films<\/h4>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3085\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3085\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3085 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/cci.utk.edu\/jem\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/11\/IMG_5557-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cci.utk.edu\/jem\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/11\/IMG_5557-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cci.utk.edu\/jem\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/11\/IMG_5557-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cci.utk.edu\/jem\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/11\/IMG_5557-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cci.utk.edu\/jem\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/11\/IMG_5557-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cci.utk.edu\/jem\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/11\/IMG_5557.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3085\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Isaac Fowler<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Isaac Fowler is another alumnus who took full advantage of media outlets on campus. He worked as a student assistant for <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/VFL_Films\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">VFL Films<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, where he shot and edited a variety of content for Tennessee Athletics. He started working full-time for VFL Films as a video producer immediately after graduation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cThe majority of my projects are based with our football team, but I enjoy shooting all of our teams when I have the chance,\u201d Fowler said. \u201cDuring the course of a year, I will create television commercials for ticket sales, edit jumbotron videos for recruiting visits, shoot and edit social media content and produce episodes for one of our football podcasts, \u2018The Slice.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In addition to his time with VFL Films while in college, Fowler also worked with <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.landgrantfilms.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Land Grant Films<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, which provides students with documentary production experience while raising awareness for local nonprofits.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cThe JEM program provided me with many of the foundations I needed to be successful in my career. Writing, finding stories and how to ethically pursue those stories are lessons I use every week,\u201d Fowler said. \u201cThrough the program, I met some of my best friends who are still creative partners to this day. To use a sports analogy, [CCI] provides its students with the playbook to go out and execute on the field at a high level.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>Josh Lively (2016), Mississippi State<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Josh Lively is the assistant director of sports information for Athletic Communications at <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hailstate.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">MSU<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. He creates content for three divisions: media relations, public relations and statistics.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3086\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3086\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3086 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/jem.utk.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/20200116_WB_vs_LSU_Lively_AP_2440-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3086\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Josh Lively<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cWith media relations, I am the liaison for local and national media to my programs,\u201d he said. \u201cI work hand-in-hand to set up weekly press conferences, one-on-one interviews and broadcast meetings before every game. For public relations, \u2026 I am responsible for writing press releases, game previews, recaps, biographies [and so on]. As a statistician, I oversee a crew that does stats for all home games, and I distribute that information to our website and media outlets.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Lively emphasized the importance of writing skills for sports media jobs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cMy position is very writing-oriented, but a lot of people in the [sports media] industry have non-communication backgrounds. From my two advanced sports writing classes to learning the nitty-gritty details of Associated Press Style writing, I believe my time at UT helped advance my career faster,\u201d Lively said. \u201cI learned these skills before getting into the field compared to many of my coworkers, who did not have that background and have to develop those skills on the job.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>Austin Perryman (2018), Mississippi State<\/h4>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3087\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3087\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3087 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/jem.utk.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/20190922_ChiefsvsRavens_5689-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3087\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Austin Perryman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Austin Perryman is the director of photography for the athletics department at MSU. He is in charge of all things related to sports photography. At UT, he began as a student football equipment manager and worked his way up to a student photographer and later digital media assistant for Tennessee Athletics. He has also interned as a seasonal photographer for the Kansas City Chiefs and did freelance editorial work for the Tennessee Titans.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cI oversee photographic coverage of all games, practices and events for all of our 14 intercollegiate sports along with organizing and directing studio portraits of these teams,\u201d Perryman said. \u201cOn top of covering our teams\u2019 events, I am responsible for providing photos to local and national media when those outlets cannot send a photographer to cover them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When talking about what the JEM program had to offer him, he pinpointed two professors and what he took away from their classes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cDuring my time at UT, I learned to tell stories in a more visual way than I ever knew before. Rob Heller\u2019s photojournalism classes made the biggest difference in this aspect because his classes made me think outside the box and see things in different ways,\u201d Perryman said. \u201cI learned a lot about networking from Dr. Sam Swan\u2019s classes that taught me how to reach out to people who had the jobs I wanted and to soak up as much information from them as possible.\u201d<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>Jesse Smithey (2002), 5Star Preps<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">While some alumni have gone on to work for universities and sports networks, others have made their mark through entrepreneurship.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Two years ago, Jesse Smithey founded <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.5starpreps.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">5Star Preps<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, which covers high school sports in East Tennessee.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3088\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3088\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3088 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/cci.utk.edu\/jem\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/11\/IMG_3684-scaled-e1605929372857-300x172.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"172\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3088\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jesse Smithey<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cMy first and foremost responsibility is lead reporter. Breaking news and reporting on the tougher stories like coaching changes, TSSAA sanctions, and player transfers typically fall in my lap,\u201d Smithey said. \u201cSince I am an owner and the lone editor, I need to take the lead on these story subjects. I don\u2019t have full-time staff, so that can\u2019t be delegated to a freelancer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Smithey balances those responsibilities with planning and assigning the coverage for the website and social media, operating his brand\u2019s social media accounts and assisting with selling sponsorships. To add to his long list of responsibilities, he is the lead voice of 5Star Prep\u2019s podcast and Friday nights post game show, \u20185Star Live,\u2019 during the high school football season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cThe biggest takeaway I got from [CCI] was the real-world experience. While at UT, I got to work for the Daily Beacon and Athlon Sports,\u201d Smithey said. \u201cI got into journalism late in my college career, but the experience I gained at UT and the help my professors gave me helped pave the way into the start of my professional career at the Knoxville News Sentinel in 2002.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>Alice Mitchell (2013), Yahoo Sports<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Along with her entrepreneurial work, this alumna has to balance it with her job at Yahoo Sports.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3089\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3089\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3089 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/cci.utk.edu\/jem\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/11\/am2-e1605929865213-300x289.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"289\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cci.utk.edu\/jem\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/11\/am2-e1605929865213-300x289.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cci.utk.edu\/jem\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/11\/am2-e1605929865213-768x739.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cci.utk.edu\/jem\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/11\/am2-e1605929865213.jpg 798w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3089\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alice Mitchell<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Alice Mitchell is the Mobile Notifications Editor for Yahoo Sports, where her job is to create and send out all of the sports related push notifications on the company\u2019s app. She has also managed her pro football <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/sheknowsprofootball.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">blog<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for 11 years and her podcast \u201cShe Knows Pro Football\u201d for two seasons.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">She explained that taking different sports media courses at UT helped her navigate the field.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cI took Sports Writing and [a sports reporting course], which, until I took those courses, I wasn\u2019t aware were two completely different avenues in sports media,\u201d Mitchell said. \u201cIt benefits to know how to write compelling sports stories, but also how to report a story without adding personal opinion. [The media diversity class] also helped me to understand how simple wording can change an entire view of a scenario.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mitchell also explained why building portfolios is beneficial to finding the right job.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cIt isn\u2019t easy to break into sports media, and you will hear a lot of \u2018no\u2019 before you hear \u2018yes.\u2019 Start a podcast or a blog\u2013 or both\u2013 to get your writing and your voice out there so you have something to show people if they want samples of your work,\u201d she said. \u201cKeep working at your craft every single day, and know the right opportunity will come along eventually.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>Sean Sullivan (2014), Yahoo Sports<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Also at Yahoo Sports, Sean Sullivan is a podcast producer. He originally joined Yahoo&#8217;s social team following his time working at NFL Network.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3090\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3090\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3090 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/cci.utk.edu\/jem\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-12-at-5.00.14-PM-300x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cci.utk.edu\/jem\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-12-at-5.00.14-PM-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/cci.utk.edu\/jem\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-12-at-5.00.14-PM-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/cci.utk.edu\/jem\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-12-at-5.00.14-PM-768x770.png 768w, https:\/\/cci.utk.edu\/jem\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-12-at-5.00.14-PM.png 866w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3090\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sean Sullivan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sullivan explained that part of getting a sports media job is standing out from the crowd.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cUT helped me get a foot in the door,\u201d he said. \u201cI was told very early on to say \u2018yes\u2019 to every opportunity that came my way at Tennessee. Without UT, my resume would have been another application in the pile.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Like many alumni have said before, experience is a key factor to success, and Sullivan agrees.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cYou will have three different people\u2019s jobs wrapped up into one. It doesn\u2019t matter if you want to produce, edit or be in front of the camera,\u201d he said. \u201cTry to get as much experience as possible while in school because you will more than likely use it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>Damichael Cole (2019), Philadelphia Inquirer<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Another alumnus who covered sports for the Daily Beacon is Damichael Cole. Now, he covers sports in a major media market.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cMy role as a sports reporter at the Philadelphia Inquirer is to bring depth to the coverage of six Division 1 colleges in the Philadelphia area, and I also focus on tennis, WNBA and boxing when athletes from Philadelphia are involved,\u201d Cole said. \u201cI focus on profile and enterprise stories on those athletes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3092\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3092\" style=\"width: 232px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3092\" src=\"https:\/\/cci.utk.edu\/jem\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-21-at-11.27.23-AM-297x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"232\" height=\"235\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cci.utk.edu\/jem\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-21-at-11.27.23-AM-297x300.png 297w, https:\/\/cci.utk.edu\/jem\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-21-at-11.27.23-AM.png 462w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 232px) 100vw, 232px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3092\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Damichael Cole<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cole also said that media experience is essential for students.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cThe biggest takeaway for me was the opportunities available to work in student media. It was a tough choice [among] WUTK, the Daily Beacon and TNJN, but each offers a good chance at getting early experience in the field that will prepare you for post-graduation,\u201d Cole said. \u201cAlso, working outside of the classroom made the in-class experience better and more worthwhile because it gives you more questions to throw at professors to learn more.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">These alumni agree that it takes skills, experience and networking to score jobs in a highly competitive playing field. JEM offers students a chance to not only learn from professionals, but also gain experience working with student media outlets.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>They trekked across campus sporting their University of Tennessee shirts, hats and even checkered overalls.\u00a0 They also walked the curved halls of the College of Communication and Information [CCI], where they laid the foundations for their careers in sports media.\u00a0 These journalism and electronic media [JEM] alumni are eight of the hundreds who\u2019ve found careers [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,20,8],"tags":[116,117,118,119,120,121,71,32,53,122],"class_list":["post-3080","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alumni-news","category-featured-story","category-news","tag-5-star-preps","tag-cbs-sports","tag-espn","tag-mississippi-state-university","tag-philadelphia-inquirer","tag-sports-alumni","tag-university-of-tennessee","tag-utk","tag-vfl-films","tag-yahoo-sports"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>JEM Sports-Focused Alumni Share Academic, Career Journeys - School of Journalism &amp; Media<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cci.utk.edu\/jem\/2020\/11\/21\/jem-sports-alumni-share-academic-career-journeys\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"JEM Sports-Focused Alumni Share Academic, Career Journeys - School of Journalism &amp; Media\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"They trekked across campus sporting their University of Tennessee shirts, hats and even checkered overalls.\u00a0 They also walked the curved halls of the College of Communication and Information [CCI], where they laid the foundations for their careers in sports media.\u00a0 These journalism and electronic media [JEM] alumni are eight of the hundreds who\u2019ve found careers [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cci.utk.edu\/jem\/2020\/11\/21\/jem-sports-alumni-share-academic-career-journeys\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"School of Journalism &amp; 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